Four historic 19th-century homes were lifted onto hydraulic jacks and moved through the streets of Hartford, Connecticut, on Thursday.
The footage showed city residents gathering on sidewalks to take photos and videos of the more than 125-year-old homes being moved across different neighborhoods and to their new locations on vacant lots across the city.
Homes were lifted from their foundations and moved intact to their new locations, blocking city streets and causing power outages so the three-story residences could fit beneath power lines. according to WTNH.
One house even had to be split in half to be transported from its location on Lincoln Street in the Frog Hollow neighborhood. WFSB reports.
Fortunately, no one lived in any of the homes, as they had been purchased by LAZ Parking to make way for a new nine-story, $60 million parking garage for Connecticut Children’s Hospital.
Residents of Hartford, Connecticut, gathered Thursday to watch four historic homes being moved through the streets
The houses were lifted from their foundations and moved intact to their new locations throughout the city.
Currently, the hospital rents parking space from nearby Hartford Hospital and transports workers from off-site at the XL Center, according to the Hartford Courant.
But the new facility will have more than 900 parking spaces for patients and staff, and will also include a restaurant to accommodate staff, patients and their families.
Construction is expected to begin next month and is It is expected to open in October or November, coinciding with the inauguration of the hospital’s $326 million clinical tower.
Connecticut Children’s Hospital ultimately paid about $1 million for the relocation of the four homes, while the city contributed another $3 million or so.
Jim Shmerling, president and CEO of Connecticut Children’s, said his original idea was to completely demolish the homes, but he learned they were on a list of historic homes.
He then spoke with members of the Hartford Preservation Alliance and the two groups collaborated on a plan to move the houses.
“We’ve had a number of discussions and we want to be a good neighbor and work with the community to preserve these historic homes,” Shmerling said.
“We were creative in meeting their needs and ours. That’s how we came up with something that is mutually beneficial.”
The crackdown began around 9 a.m. Thursday, blocking city streets and causing power outages.
The move finally began around 9 a.m. Thursday, disrupting J Restaurant & Bar, a family-owned business that has occupied one of the 150-year-old homes for the past 54 years.
“This is a little weird,” owner Jordan Dikegoros told WTNH. “It’s our last day cooking, which isn’t even done inside the restaurant.”
“This morning we’re going to be doing egg sandwiches, bloody marys and mimosas outside,” she said. “People can watch the houses being built on the street, and in the afternoon we’re going to have a ‘last house in the neighborhood’ party. We’re the last building.”
The restaurant will, however, continue to exist, although details about its new location have not yet been finalized.
One house even had to be cut in half so it could be relocated.
Meanwhile, residents of Putnam Street, which will receive two of the four homes, said they were glad the vacant lots were being filled.
“I’m intrigued, I like it,” Nehemiah Lewis told NBC Connecticut. “I’m happy for the neighborhood. It’s going to give us a different look, a different vibe.”
The homes are scheduled to undergo renovations in the coming months, and Shmerling noted that they may have “asbestos, mold or other environmental hazards” that the hospital and city will address before residents can move in.
But Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, who lives in the Frog Hollow neighborhood from where the homes are being moved, has spoken out against the project, which was completed under the previous administration.
The controversial move was made to make room for a new nine-story, $60 million parking garage for Connecticut Children’s Hospital.
“I think it’s important to preserve homes. It’s important to invest in historic preservation,” she said before the move.
“But for those who see this as an absolute victory, I am not on their side.”
He said he would have preferred to see the city spend the money on new teachers or youth programs, and had called for a housing investment fund to create 12 to 15 new homeownership opportunities.
“What we got instead was a process where we moved four houses from one place to another,” the Democratic mayor said.
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